Robin Hopper - President

Welcome to my year as president, my focus is to bringing ‘New life’ to the Club by introducing young people. Our Programme and Membership committees last year focussed strongly on ‘Young Rotarians‘ and we now have a list of over 20 young people who have had some association with our club during the last 12 months. I believe that if we embrace their ideas we will gain from their energy and enthusiasm.

New initiatives are being developed to engage with more local projects to benefit the community and provide younger members with opportunities to develop their skills and experiences. Present members will champion contacts, engage and mentor our ‘Young Rotarians’ to develop their life skills.

It is important that we maintain a balance to ensure that the core values of Rotary are preserved and the culture of our club is maintained. I believe that this can be managed through careful respectful planning and monitoring with a ‘shared ownership’ of this initiative.

Our Club believes that the future of our country, and our world, is in the hands of our youth and members want to support local young people to achieve their goals and prosper; in support I have chosen charities for my year that provide opportunities to enhance the life of children and young people living in Stevenage.

Rotarians give considerable time, energy and financial commitment to their club and its work. The rewards of seeing the benefit to others are many and personal achievement comes through such work and fellowship. During my year I want to ensure that the ability to maximise the benefits of ‘fellowship’ and the ‘fun and enjoyment’ associated with Rotary, underpins all that we do.

We have an exciting year ahead and I really hope many will join us to develop our Club, the work we do in the community and opportunity for youngsters, and that you will enjoy this as much as I.